Tag: Boston Globe

As advocacy efforts continue to progress toward a State Medicaid rate increase for nursing services, to help individuals with complex medical needs, excitement around the movement throughout Boston and much of the state is starting to build. On July 30, the Boston Globe featured a lead article about one of the families most effected by the matter. The article showed how this family has not had nursing coverage in more than 100 consecutive days because of the low Medicaid reimbursement rates. Two days later, WGBH-TV of Boston ran an on-air piece featuring the Mom from the Globe article and another Mom who is a leading advocate showing the urgency that the 900 plus Massachusetts families needing home care nursing services are facing on a daily basis.

The Boston Globe recently published a touching and impactful article detailing the plight of Noelia Ferreira and her fifteen-year-old daughter, Abi. The article detailed Noelia’s painful balancing act between being Abi’s mother and her nurse, and the anxiety she feels knowing that someone better trained should be taking care of Abi’s medical needs. While Abi qualifies for the care that would give Noelia a much needed sense of relief and reassurance, MA does not currently offer funding that attracts the qualified nurses necessary to provide the kind of care Abi needs. Noelia is not looking for any special consideration; she only wants the care that the state has already approved, care she has gone without for more than 150 days. (See the full Globe article here).

The lack of available medical professionals in MA is being felt by more than just the Ferreira’s. The abysmal reimbursement rates in the state leave providers with no means of meeting the care needs of the 900 people who need care in MA. Without an increase in the rates, families like Noelia’s will continue to go without the care they so desperately need. You can all help in the effort to get that increase. Go to mychildcantwait.com and tell Governor Baker to fund the critical CSN program!

On January 10, BAYADA hosted a lobby day in Boston with members of the Continuous Skilled Nursing (CSN) provider coalition, the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts, and the Pediatric Home Nursing Care Campaign (a coalition of parents and grandparents). During the lobby day, we introduced a Patient Bill of Rights that will allow for adequate reimbursement rates and other protections for those receiving services under the CSN program. Since then, BAYADA testified along with other providers and parents about the need to increase the rate. We have also obtained over 50 sponsors to our bill, and sent over 400 emails to legislators about the bill. Most recently, one of the parents was featured on the CBS local affiliate WBZ Boston. The video could not have made our point more clear. See the full video here. The campaign was also featured in the Boston Globe the day after our lobby day. Click here to read more.

Last week, BAYADA’s Government Affairs Office (GAO) along with the Boston Pediatrics office, helped host a lobby day for providers, support organizations, and family coalition members. The purpose of the legislation was to introduce a patient bill of rights for the medically complex population receiving continuous skilled nursing services and to obtain co-sponsors. The event was well attended by over 100 individuals and many legislators and staff. During the lobby day, we had meetings with over 50 legislators and visited every office in the legislature to drop off our packet about the bill. We were also fortunate to have the Boston Globe cover our Lobby Day! To date, we have over a dozen legislators that have signed onto the bill. Parents and supporters who were unable to be at the lobby day in person sent over 400 emails to legislators. Click here for the full text and to see what your colleagues have said about the article: